Transforming Anthony Carrigan into Metamorpho for Superman
Anthony Carrigan, known for his role in the series Barry and for being one of those actors who fully immerses himself in his characters, has just shared how the process was to become Metamorpho in the upcoming Superman movie directed by James Gunn. And according to his own words... the experience was almost like filming a horror scene, but before even arriving on set.
Glued, sewn, and wrapped
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Carrigan explained that the makeup and costume process was anything but comfortable: They glued things to me, then painted over them, then glued more things on top. I'm not kidding when I say I was glued, sewn, completely wrapped… practically tied up, he commented. All this so the director could showcase a 100% physical Metamorpho, without relying exclusively on CGI.
Metamorpho is more than just another CGI
With current technology, they could have opted for a fully digital character, but Gunn and his team preferred a practical approach. And honestly, it's appreciated. Carrigan sums it up perfectly: The brain notices the difference between physical and digital. If you've worked in VFX or lighting, you know exactly what he's talking about: that sense of real volume, the interaction of light… and that little extra bit of credibility that's so hard to fully achieve with CGI.
A glimpse through merchandising
So far, the little we've seen of Metamorpho in trailers or promotional material has been quite limited, but a collectible figure from McFarlane Toys already hinted at what his final look will be: each limb has different textures and materials, making it clear that in the movie we'll see him using all his transformation powers.
From hero to antagonist, at least for now
In the comics, Metamorpho is usually a hero, but in this first appearance in the DCU, he'll be more of a reluctant antagonist. According to Carrigan, his character will be forced to be a tool of the villain, referring to Lex Luthor, so he'll end up facing off against Superman more than once.
Will we see him again?
It's yet to be seen if Metamorpho will have more future appearances in the new DC universe, but if so, hopefully the makeup team finds a less torturous way to get Carrigan into the suit. For now, we just have to wait to see the final result on screen… and cross our fingers that it's worth every minute of that almost surgical transformation process 🎭.